Piggy-back loader



y 1966 s. PROLER 3,252,608

PIGGY-EACK LOADER Filed April 6, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet l Jam Pro/er INVENTOR.

ATTO/FA/f) May 24, 1966 s. PROLER 3,252,608

PIGGYBAGK LOADER Filed April 6, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jam P/ 0 /e INVENTOR.

May 24, 1966 Filed April 6, 1964 s. PROLER 3,252,608

PIGGY-BACK LOADER 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 J 0/77 Pr 0 /e r INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY May 24, 1966 s. PROLER PIGGY-BACK LOADER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 6, 1964 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Jam Pro/er United States Patent 3,252,608 PIGGY-BACK LOADER Sam Proler, Proleride Transport System, Inc., P.0. Box 1215, Houston, Tex. Filed Apr. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 357,579 2 Claims. (Cl. 214-516) This invention relates to means and apparatus for the handling of transportable containers and more particularly it relates to such apparatus which is useful for trans ferring large containers from a truck or trailer bed to a railway flatcar such as is utilized in the well-known piggy-back" service. The apparatus of this invention also preferably utilizes in conjunction therewith equipmeat as is shown and described in co-pending applications 101,224, filed April 6, 1961, and 106,936, filed May 1, 1961, by the present inventor and Herman J. Proler, both now abandoned, and in co-pending application Serial Number 119,900 filed June 27, 1961, now abandoned, by the present inventor and Herman I. Proler.

The transportation operation lmown as piggy-back service consists of the carrying on railway flatcars of large containers which are normally transported on highway trucks or of the carrying on such fiatcarsof complete trailers with their loads. In some instances provision is made for removing an entire van body with its contained cargo from a truck bed or trailer bed and placing it on the railway car. Piggy-back service has become increasingly popular during the last several years because of the many cost savings realized by this method. Not only do savings result from the inherence lesser cost of railway transportation but also from the reduced amount of handling required to transfer freight from a truck to a railway car and vice versa.

A major difficulty in such operations derives from the means used to transfer the containers, vans, or trailers to and from the railway flatcar. Usually large expensive equipment is required to effect such transfers. This means that the container can only be transferrred to and from the fiatcar at certain places where such equipment is available. Because of the cost of such equipment it is not possible for it to be provided in every location in which it might be desired to load or unload a car.

It is an object of this invention to provide readily transportable means for transferring a container to and from a railway fiatcar.

It is another object of this invention to provide means which are carried on a truck or trailer which is etiective to transfer a container from the truck or trailer to the flatcar and also to transfer the container back to the truck or trailer.

A further object is to provide a truck or trailer having equipment carried thereon which adapts the truck or trailer to pick up a container from a desired location, transport it to the location of the railway car and place the container on the railway car all without the use of any additional equipment.

According to this invention these and other objects are accomplished by the provision on the truck or trailer bed of apparatus for elevating a container to a position above the level of the car bed, and apparatus for moving the container laterally from above the truck bed to above the car bed and then lowering the container onto the car bed and retracting the lateral movement apparatus.

For a better understanding of the invention reference is now made to the attached drawings wherein FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view, with portions broken away for clarity, of a truck embodying one modification of this invention, showing the truck in position under a container at rest before picking up the container;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary view of the embodiment of FIGURE 1 showing the truck and container at a later 3,252,608 Patented May 24, 1966 stage after the container has been lifted clear of groundcngaging supports;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of the embodiment of FIGURES 1 and 2 at a still later stage showing the container having been lowered onto the truck bed;

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken at line 44 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 at a later stage showing the apparatus on the truck bed in position for lateral movement of the container from the truck bed to a railway flatcar;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view taken at line 6-6 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 but showing the lateral transfer mechanism at a later stage;

FIGURE 8 is another view similar to FIGURES 6 and 7 but showing the lateral transfer mechanism at a still later stage;

FIGURE 9 is a plan view of one embodiment of the lateral transfer mechanism of this invention;

FIGURE 10 is a vertical sectional view of the embodiment of FIGURE 9 taken at line Iii-10 of FIGURE 9',

FIGURE 11 is a vertical sectional view of the embodiment of FIGURE 9 taken at line 11-11 of FIGURE 9.

In the embodiment shown in FIGUR-E1 of the drawing a truck It! has been backed into position under a container 12 which is resting on a plurality of posts 14 at a height sufficient to clear the bed 16 of the truck. The truck bed comprises a main frame 18 and a vertically movable platform 20 resting thereon. Fluid cylinders 22 mounted on the bed provide means for elevating the platform to position it upwardly spaced away from the bed.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing the truck ed utilized is of the bifurcated form having longitudinally extending frame members 24 and 26 (FIG. 6) eX- tending rearwardly from the front of the truck and having no connection therebetween at the rear end of the truck (see FIG. 4). Thus the container may rest on three posts 14 as shown in FIGURE 4 or alternatively the container may be provided with three extensible legs of the type shown and described in the heretofore referred to patent applications. The provision of this type of support allows utilization of the entire road width of the container for cargo space instead of requiring space laterally outwardly of the cargov space for support legs for the container.

When the apparatus of this invention is utilized on such a truck bed or trailer it is normally carried in a position such as is shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawing. Of course if the truck bed is not bifurcated the apparatus still may be mounted similarly as is shown. In this embodiment recesses 28 and 30 are provided in the top of the platform on one side and recesses 32 and 34 are provided in the top of the platform on the other side. Recesses 28 and 30 are of such size, depth and configuration as to fully contain below the upper surface of the platform an elongate transfer mechanism 36. As normally carried on the platform the mechanisms 36 are in the position shown in FIGURE 4, that is, extending longitudinally of the bed of the truck. The mechanisms 36 are however pivotally mounted on the platform for pivoting about a vertical axis 38. Such pivoting may be accomplished manually or may be by-means of hydraulic cylinders 46 which in the embodiment shown are pivotally attached to the opposite side of the platform and are extensible as shown in dotted lines to engage the mech anisms 36 to pivot these mechanisms each degrees to the position shown in FIGURE 5. Each mechanism is then in a position for lateral transfer of a container from the truck bed to a railway fiatcar.

Reference is now made to FIGURES 9, 10 and 11 for a description of the container transfer mechanism 36.

looking first at the sectional view shown in FIGURE 11 it will be seen that the mechanism comprises a channel shaped track 42 to which is attached the pivot pin 44 upon which the mechanism pivots from longitudinal alignment with the truck bed to transversely of the truck bed. Except for this pivoting movement the track 42 is fixed against movement relative to the platform. When the mechanism is in the transverse position the track extends from substantially one outer edge of the platform to several feet beyond the other outer edge of the platform. A main frame member 46 of the mechanism is positioned above the track and extends longitudinally with respect thereto and is longitudinally movable with respect to the track. The main frame member is shorter than the track and has a length approximately or only somewhat less than the width of the maximum size container which can be carried by the truck. The main frame member comprises a fl-at upper plate 48 having two downwardly extending guide elements 50 which are slidably positioned between the upwardly extending flanges 52 of the track 42. A long fluid cylinder 54 is positioned between the guide elements 50 and is rigidly attached to the web of.

the track 42 and extends longitudinally of the track. The fluid cylinder is provided with a piston rod 56 which is longitudinally extensible therefrom upon the application of pressure to the cylinder. The end of the piston rod is attached to an axle 58 extending transversely thereof and on either end of which is rotatably mounted a sprocket 60. A tie bar 62 extends longitudinally the full length of the track 42 intermediate each sprocket 60 and the adjacent guide 50. Each tie bar serves to rotatably mount a plurality of sprockets 64 spaced along the length of the tie bar, which sprockets constitute rollers rollably supporting the main frame. Each of the sprockets 60 and 64 mounted on each tie bar engages an endless load chain 66 which extends around all of the sprockets on one tie bar. Each chain is securely attached to the main frame by clamp means 68 of a type well known in the art near the left end of the main frame as viewed in FIGURE 10. In addition each chain is attached to the track 42 by such clamp means 68 at a point near the pivot pin 44.

Means 70 for elevating a container above the container transfer mechanism 36 are attached to and supported on the main frame member 46. Such means comprises a pair of fluid cylinders 72, one of which is positioned on either side of the guide elements 50 and each of which extend longitudinally of the track and the main frame.

The cylinders are rigidly attached by means not shown to the flat upper plate 48 of the main frame. Each cylinder is in effect a double cylinder in that it has a piston rod 74 extending out each end with-a piston 76 to actuate each piston rod. Each piston rod is pivotally attached to a link '78 which-in turn is pivotally attached to one arm of a bell crank 80. The bell crank 80 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 82 which extends laterally from one of the guides 50. On the other arm of the bell crank an upwardly facing flat plate 84 is pivotally mounted for engagement with the under side of the container to be elevated.

The operation and use of the apparatus of this invention should be apparent from the foregoing description of the structure. It will be seen that a truck or a trailer which is provided with the vertically movable platform and the container transfer mechanism 36 may be utilized to pick up containers 12 of the type described in the aforesaid patent applications or containers as shown in FIG- URE 1 herein. The truck is backed under the container and the fluid cylinders 22 are actuated to elevate the platform until the upper surface of the platform engages the under side of the container. A continuation of the elevation will lift the container free of its supports 14. The truck may be then driven away from the supports and the fluid cylinders 22 retracted to lower the container and the platform onto the bed of the truck. The truck may then transport the container to and alongside a railway flatcar 86 (see FIGURES 6, 7, and 8). The railway flatcar is preferably provided with support elements 88 which may comprise a plurality of blocks having a height greater than the vertical thickness of the container transfer mechanism.

When the truck or trailer is positioned alongside the railway car the fluid cylinders 22 are again actuated to elevate the platform 20 to a position higher than the bed of the railway car. The piston rods or fluid cylinders 49 may then be connected to the pivotable container transfer mechanism as shown in FIGURE 4 and fluid pressure applied to the cylinders 46 to rotate each transfer mechanism 90 degrees so that it extends transversely of the bed of the truck and so that the track extends laterally outwardly from the bed of the truck and over the railway car bed. Alternatively the transfer mechanism may be pivoted by hand and locked in place he means well known in the art.

Following this pivoting of the transfer mechanism to its transverse position the hydraulic cylinders 22 are again actuated to lower the platform until the track 42 rests upon the bed of the railway car as shown in FIG- URE 7. Fluid cylinders 71) are then actuated to cause pivoting of the bell crank 86 so as to elevate the container 12 from its position resting upon the container transfer mechanism to a position above and clear of the transfer mechanism, and high enough to clear the blocks 88 on the flatcar. The apparatus of the invention is then in the condition that is shown in FIGURE 7 of the drawing. Following this the fluid cylinder 54 is pressurized to cause piston rod 56 to move outwardly therefrom. p The movement of piston rod 56 causes sprockets 66 to roll along the track 42 thereby causing traveling of. the chain 66. This in turn causes rotation of the other sprockets 64 and causes the main frame 46 of the transfer mechanism to move longitudinally of the track. It will be seen that the entire combination of elements comprising the tie bars 62, the sprockets 60 and 64, and the chain 66 will be moved longitudinally of the track 'by means of the force applied through piston rod 56. Such movement of this combination of elements causes simultaneous movement of the main frame 46 by virtue of the fact that this main frame is supported upon and rolls along the sprockets 64 and 60. It will also be apparent that the rate of travel of the main frame 46 will be twice that of the rate of travel of the heretofore described combination. Thus the container will be moved transversely of the bed of the truck twice as far as the chain and sprocket assembly. It will be seen that the sprocket 60 and some of the sprockets 64 will roll off the end of the track 42. To accomplish this the bottom of the track may be tapered as shown at 90 in FIGURE 10. Alternatively a plate may be laid upon the car bed to receive the sprockets as they roll off the track. Such a plate would of course have the same thickness as the web of the track.

When the container has been moved to a position suspended above the support elements 88 fluid cylinder 70 may be actuated to lower the container to rest upon the support elements. Fluid cylinder 54 may then be actu-- ated in the opposite direction to retract the chain and sprocket assembly back onto the track and to its original position as shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. The container transfer mechanism is then rotated back to its position extending longitudinally of the bed of the truck and the platform 20 is lowered back to rest upon the bed of the truck. It is understood that throughout the description where the term truck bed has been used that the term is also intended to include a truck trailer or other wheeled vehicle. For example container transfer mechanism of the type shown and described herein might well be utilized on a railway car and used for transferring freight therefrom onto a loading dock or onto a truck.

Many modifications of the invention heretofore shown and described will be apparent to those skilled in the art, therefore the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown and described but only as set forth by the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for transferring a container comprising a vertical pivot, elongate container transfer means mounted on said pivot for pivoting thereabout between a first position and a second position substantially at right angles to said first position, said container transfer means comprising a substantially horizontal upwardly open, channel-shaped track member, a main frame above and longitudinally movable with respect to said track, a pair of downwardly extending longitudinal guide elements on said main frame, a plurality of rollers between said guide members and in said track rollably supporting said main frame above said track, container elevating means on said main frame, and power means interconnecting said track, and said main frame for movement of said main frame longitudinally with respect to said track, said power means comprising a fluid cylinder attached to said track and a piston rod extending from said fluid cylinder and attached to at least one of said rollers, whereby the application of fluid pressure to said fluid cylinder will cause said rollers to roll on said track and said main frame to move longitudinally with respect to said track at a rate twice the rate of movement of said piston rod.

2. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 wherein said rollers are sprockets, and including a chain engaged in said sprockets.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,382,328 6/1921 Stone 214-3822 2,165,641 7/1939 Mattox 21438.40 2,287,068 6/1942 Shonnard 214-3822 2,786,590 3/1957 Edwards et al 21438.10 2,854,158 9/1958 Copeland 214-38.40 2,901,129 8/1959 Sanders 21416.14 3,079,015 2/ 1963 Sinclair et a1.

GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR TRANSFERRING A CONTAINER COMPRISING A VERTICAL PIVOT, ELONGATE CONTAINER TRANSFER MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID PIVOT FOR PIVOTING THEREABOUT BETWEEN A FIRST POSITION AND A SECOND POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID FIRST POSITION, SAID CONTAINER TRANSFER MEANS COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL UPWARDLY OPEN, CHANNEL-SHAPED TRACK MEMBER, A MAIN FRAME ABOVE AND LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID TRACK, A PAIR OF DONWARDLY EXTENDING LONGITUDINAL GUIDE ELEMENTS ON SAID MAIN FRAME, A PLURALITY OF ROLLERS BETWEEN SAID GUIDE MEMBERS AND IN SAID TRACK ROLLABLY SUPPORTING SAID MAIN FRAME ABOVE SAID TRACK, CONTAINER ELEVATING MEANS ON SAID MAIN FRAME, AND POWER MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID TRACK, AND SAID MAIN FRAME FOR MOVEMENT 